Israeli Attorney General Orders Restraint After Knesset Dissolution Ahead of Elections

Israeli Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara issued an official directive to Government Secretary Yossi Fox following the formal dissolution of the 25th Knesset on Friday morning. She clarified that the government is now classified as an outgoing administration, which imposes significant legal restrictions on ministers' activities. Baharav-Miara emphasized that although the government remains legally in office until a new government is formed, its scope of action and exercise of authority differ substantially from a regular government.

Citing Supreme Court precedents, the Attorney General instructed that an outgoing government during an election period must exercise restraint and moderation, especially regarding non-urgent matters. The degree of restraint depends on the urgency and necessity of the governmental action, with more critical actions facing fewer limitations. She also noted that election-related administrative considerations apply even before the official announcement or dissolution if the public and decision-makers were aware that elections were imminent.

Baharav-Miara highlighted that recent political discourse about early elections and the initial approval of the Knesset dissolution law must be factored into legal assessments of recent government decisions and actions. She requested that her letter be distributed to all government ministers and that legal opinions attached to government proposals explicitly address the current limitations on government authority.

The 25th Knesset was officially dissolved early Friday after the second and third readings of the amendment to the Political Parties Financing Law, preparing for the 26th Knesset elections. The amendment passed with 62 votes in favor and no opposition or abstentions. Additionally, a temporary provision maintaining the regular IDF service length at 32 months was approved with 43 supporting votes, 12 opposing, and one abstention. This legislative session also saw the approval of laws concerning Torah study, freezing arrests of draft-dodging ultra-Orthodox men, canceling the kosher reform, gender separation in academia, and weakening the Attorney General's legal counsel authority.